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[Overwatch] Overwatch 2 is Live!

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Posts

  • KanaKana Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    ArcTangent wrote: »
    ArcTangent wrote: »
    Zek wrote: »
    It's not elaborate. It's just them saying one thing that no one is capable of verifying.

    Of course it can't be verified, how would any of us ever be able to verify anything that they announce? That doesn't automatically make it suspicious.

    The cynical take is that Blizzard gave up on OW1 years ago and would never put out a free story update before OW2. So when they had to rename McCree, they also invented this imaginary delayed update to trick people into thinking they're still working on the game so they get some arguably good PR (if you think a delay is good PR). The problem with this theory is that by doing that, now they actually do have to make this story update, which the whole theory hinges on them not wanting to do in the first place.

    No one expected a story update. There would have been no negative PR about it had they not mentioned it. The theory simply doesn't make sense.

    You're making a lot of extremely dubious assumptions. That the current situation is neutral/good PR for Blizzard. That it will be a major update. That it will be a substantive one. That it really was planned just a week or two out.

    If in December, they put out a 10 page short story and a skin, that's "new story and game content," and in fact how they've described things like the Ana Bastet challenge in the past. Maybe they do now put one together for three months from now that they hadn't planned on before, or maybe four months go by and "Oh, we decided to focus on OW2 instead to make it the best game possible for you," like the same excuse they've used for years now. The important part is singing their own praises, and kicking the can far down the road without making any actual promises they'd need to deliver on, but especially singing their own praises.

    Can you at least acknowledge it's good that they're removing a sexual predator's namesake from the game? Can you find one good thing in this game that you post about so often instead of looking for the worst possible interpretation (which you've made up with zero evidence)?

    I mean Jesus Christ some of you are just literally impossible to please.

    No. Absolutely and categorically no. Nobody is under any obligation to be laudatory for the proposed... Let me repeat that... the proposed future dismantling of some of the shrines they built to abusers. They knew about the abuse for years, and only started to make any effort to change things after people found out and became upset about it. Afrasiabi provides a prime example. He was fired in 2020 for being an abuser, but it wasn't until after that became public knowledge that they started cleaning up references to him. It is the absolute minimum they can do, and the very definition of performative and self-serving. Nobody should be singing their praises simply because they opted to not do nothing at all.

    I repeat, Blizzard is not your friend. Why won't people be nice and think the best of the poor beleaguered billion dollar company with a corporate culture rife with sexual harassment is a hell of a take.

    The thing you don't get is that this is a change that the Blizzard employees wanted themselves. Casters refused to call him by name, he just became Cowboy. Internal devs campaigned to get the name changed. This is not a top-down PR move, and Blizzard is not a monolith. The employees fought to get McCree's name changed and that's why it's happening, not because the public was demanding it. The change is not for us. This is what the blizzard employees are saying themselves on twitter. They didn't want to keep the name.

    Nobody's defending Blizzard The Giant Corporation, but most people understand that a company made up of thousands of people is not, in fact, a single united monolith.

    Kana on
    A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    I'm still iffy about some OW2 changes but I do feel like they're laser targeted at the people I know who stopped playing the game.

    Like every change is something I remember people complaining about.

    My biggest wait and see is if they'll actually manage to make tanks fun enough to offset the lost in synergy.

  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    I didn't know this weekend was finals weekend, shows how much I quit on OWL. Hopefully there is no OWL season 5 or at least they take a year off and pretend to focus on us normies again.

  • BionicPenguinBionicPenguin Registered User regular
    They've already announced season 5 will be played on a beta of OW2.

    Also, for the most part, balancing for the highest level does an excellent job of balancing for lower tiers because the pros are the ones who find the optimal heroes/comps to play. The current hero balance is the best it's ever been.

  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    I often hear the narrative that the Overwatch team only cares about competitive balance to the detriment of pub play, and I don't really get it. I play exclusively Quick Play and the balance is great IMO. Agreed the game is in the best state it's ever been.

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    Some heroes will be better the worse your team is at communicating and coordinating but I don't see that as a balance issue tbh.

    That said I think a lot of OW2 is about increasing the solo potential of individual players while slightly reducing the amount of team coordination needed.

    Which might be for the better overall.

  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    I...

    I still remember when Overwatch 2 was primarily focused on single-player/co-op story missions. The more I read about OW2, the more sad I become.

    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    I...

    I still remember when Overwatch 2 was primarily focused on single-player/co-op story missions. The more I read about OW2, the more sad I become.

    I feel we're hearing the MP side of it right now because this is their best chance to leverage OWL into more eyes on it. OWL fans aren't going to care overmuch about the PvE side of it.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    I...

    I still remember when Overwatch 2 was primarily focused on single-player/co-op story missions. The more I read about OW2, the more sad I become.

    I feel we're hearing the MP side of it right now because this is their best chance to leverage OWL into more eyes on it. OWL fans aren't going to care overmuch about the PvE side of it.

    See, back when I first heard about OW2, I distinctly remember the pitch being OW2 = single-player/co-op; OW1 = pvp. Like, the two were distinctly separate beasts. That's what got me most excited for OW2: the hard divorcing of the scopes of the two games. That way, "balancing" for pvp is completely removed from the game.

    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • BionicPenguinBionicPenguin Registered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    I...

    I still remember when Overwatch 2 was primarily focused on single-player/co-op story missions. The more I read about OW2, the more sad I become.

    I feel we're hearing the MP side of it right now because this is their best chance to leverage OWL into more eyes on it. OWL fans aren't going to care overmuch about the PvE side of it.

    See, back when I first heard about OW2, I distinctly remember the pitch being OW2 = single-player/co-op; OW1 = pvp. Like, the two were distinctly separate beasts. That's what got me most excited for OW2: the hard divorcing of the scopes of the two games. That way, "balancing" for pvp is completely removed from the game.

    I don't think that was ever the plan. Right from the initial announcement, the PVP side of OW2 (new heroes and maps, balance changes, etc) was going to be a free upgrade for OW1. Buying OW2 would get you the PVE content and some skins.

  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    I...

    I still remember when Overwatch 2 was primarily focused on single-player/co-op story missions. The more I read about OW2, the more sad I become.

    I feel we're hearing the MP side of it right now because this is their best chance to leverage OWL into more eyes on it. OWL fans aren't going to care overmuch about the PvE side of it.

    See, back when I first heard about OW2, I distinctly remember the pitch being OW2 = single-player/co-op; OW1 = pvp. Like, the two were distinctly separate beasts. That's what got me most excited for OW2: the hard divorcing of the scopes of the two games. That way, "balancing" for pvp is completely removed from the game.

    I don't think that was ever the plan. Right from the initial announcement, the PVP side of OW2 (new heroes and maps, balance changes, etc) was going to be a free upgrade for OW1. Buying OW2 would get you the PVE content and some skins.

    Guess I stopped listening at the synopsis this The Verge writes about:

    "Unlike the original game, which was primarily a PvP multiplayer experience, the sequel appears to be emphasizing cooperative PvE content that will see players face off against a multitude of computer enemies in both story levels and more replayable 'hero missions.'”

    Missed the part about there still being a pvp mode too.

    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    If you only care about PvE I don't think you have much reason to be upset with OW2 right now. They just aren't revealing anything new about it because they mostly already gave that pitch, what remains is to sell the PvP fans on it. And to wait for the game to be done.

    I get the sense that the game has grown a lot in scope since it was first announced, in that the PvP changes became more all-encompassing than before, but the PvE side is the same as always.

    Zek on
  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    I also think we're hearing a lot about PvP because when PvE was announced the reception was largely positive so they were probably like 'okay people are happy with it, our job is done for now' whereas the change to 5v5 was pretty controversial so they're putting a lot of effort into showing everyone like 'no seriously guys check it out, this is gonna be awesome'

    Also like mentioned, with the OWL season coming to a close there have been a lot of question marks about what the next season is gonna look like, and for the benefit of the players and team orgs it's in their best interest to start getting that sorted out right now so they can start prepping right away, whereas PvE isn't on a strict timetable in the same way so they can keep working on that in the background

    I am massively excited for the PvE stuff and I personally don't feel any reason to be worried about it at all at this point

  • ArcTangentArcTangent Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    I'm still iffy about some OW2 changes but I do feel like they're laser targeted at the people I know who stopped playing the game.

    Like every change is something I remember people complaining about.

    My biggest wait and see is if they'll actually manage to make tanks fun enough to offset the lost in synergy.

    Google saw fit to ping me about Overwatch 2 this morning.

    To tell me that a dev announced that a big emphasis right now for it is a hard nerf to all supports.

    Boy howdy.

    ztrEPtD.gif
  • surrealitychecksurrealitycheck lonely, but not unloved dreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered User regular
    baseline reducing healing then figuring out what supports should do in that environment is entirely a sensible call

    the massive healing output of supports in ow is 1) balanced around having 4 targets to keep up (and 2 tank hp pools) and thus needs to be reduced anyway given its still 2 supports with only 3 targets to heal 2) a major contributor to one shots being such a common design element in modern ow dps heroes

    so hell yeah nerf healing and buff utility its good for everybody

    obF2Wuw.png
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    Yeah. They explained that the reason they're doing that is with one less player/tank to worry about they found that supports were a lot more effective at keeping their parties up. To the point it was drawing out fights.

    So it makes sense in that context.

  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    Incidentally I also got a Google Now Story where one of the OWL players listed the characters that were disabled for their playtest: Orisa, Sigma, Doomfist, McCree, Moira. So those most be the characters they know for sure are getting reworks but don't have finalized yet.

  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    Real curious what the Brig looked like since so many of her abilities are things they're trying to cut back on.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • surrealitychecksurrealitycheck lonely, but not unloved dreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered User regular
    shield bash no stun but deals 40 damage, beyond that i strongly suspect not yet iterated on

    obF2Wuw.png
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    Bridget is the only person who should have CC with bash. You can just make McCree's flash be an actual flash, no CC but just a white screen for 2 seconds that would be more of a counter to a Lucio or Hog or any sniper if you flank. The trade off with Bridget's bash would be she's open after the hit since she doesn't trigger healing but her health and shield strength were so strong for the longest time she had no repercussions and leading a deathball.

  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    TexiKen wrote: »
    Bridget is the only person who should have CC with bash. You can just make McCree's flash be an actual flash, no CC but just a white screen for 2 seconds that would be more of a counter to a Lucio or Hog or any sniper if you flank. The trade off with Bridget's bash would be she's open after the hit since she doesn't trigger healing but her health and shield strength were so strong for the longest time she had no repercussions and leading a deathball.

    Yeah, that would totally do nothing to the classic Rein shield stand off or the Tracer/Wrecking ball fights. It needs a pretty total redesign for that ability.

    Also just realized Mei was available but nobody played her. So very sad!

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • NobodyNobody Registered User regular
    Looks like the bug is still around where you only get 2 pts towards the special skin on the first win of a particular game type per login.

    I just did two Junkenstein's revenges in a row, both wins, and only had 2 pts torwards spooky Genji.

  • PailryderPailryder Registered User regular
    FYI there's a new experimental patch out

  • TalithTalith 変態という名の紳士 Miami, FLRegistered User regular


    Looks like they decided not to go with McShooty

    7244qyoka3pp.gif
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    They didn't give us any new challenges this year for Junkenstein. I'd say that's fine if OW2 comes out in March but I doubt that.


    New experiment patch up that feels like trolling, I'd be surprised if this went live, Torb would be even stronger on console.
    EXPERIMENTAL HERO UPDATES

    Torbjörn

    Overload

    Cooldown reduced from 10s to 8s

    Rivet Gun

    Alternate fire ammo consumption reduced from 3 to 2 per shot

    Developer Note: The Overload change allows Torbjörn to use Overload a bit more aggressively, instead of purely saving it for defense. When combined with the Rivet Gun change, Torbjörn will be able to dish out more damage more frequently, especially at close range.

    McCree

    Deadeye

    Initial slower damage ramping speed duration reduced from 0.8s to 0.5s

    Combat Roll

    Can now be used while in the air

    Developer Note: This change to Deadeye allows its faster damage ramping to happen earlier, allowing it to be threatening to enemies more quickly than before. This change will help strengthen an ability that is often considered fairly weak compared to other heroes’ ultimates. Combat Roll being able to be used in the air is a nice quality of life change, but it is also a potentially powerful change when fighting against heroes with big vertical knockbacks such as Doomfist and Wrecking Ball.

    Moira

    Biotic Orb

    Slowed speed when it has a target has been reduced from 27.5% of normal, to 15% of normal

    Developer Note: This change allows Moira to get more power out of both of her Orbs, rather than them often using just a portion of their total potential before flying away from their targets.

    Junkrat

    Frag Launcher

    Impact damage increased from 40 to 90

    Explosion damage reduced from 80 to 60

    Added falloff to the impact damage

    Between 15 to 25m, impact damage reduced to 20% (18)

    Knockback amount reduced slightly

    Developer Note: The main goal of these changes is to increase Junkrat’s overall potential power, especially at close ranges, while weakening his long-range spam potential. Direct hits within 15 meters will now do massive damage, while area damage and long-range direct hit damage will be much lower than before.


  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    It's obviously not as cool as his original name, but I'd say it's a perfectly acceptable replacement.

  • BloodySlothBloodySloth Registered User regular
    "McCree" is better than "Cassidy," but "Cole Cassidy" sounds better than "Jesse McCree" to me. Still very cowboy and westerny. It's not a big deal. I anticipate this news will produce a bunch of dumb screeds and toxic chat in game and I'm already deeply tired of it.

  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    shoulda just really leaned into it and called him Cassidy "Sundance the Kidd" Butch

  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited October 2021
    It's obviously not as cool as his original name, but I'd say it's a perfectly acceptable replacement.

    In 'Blizzard will never actually change' news, they named him after a porn star.

    Maybe it was actually some 5D chess to muddle the results when searching for Overwatch porn...

    Reynolds on
    uyvfOQy.png
  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2021
    Reynolds wrote: »
    It's obviously not as cool as his original name, but I'd say it's a perfectly acceptable replacement.

    In 'Blizzard will never actually change' news, they named him after a porn star.

    Maybe it was actually some 5D chess to muddle the results when searching for Overwatch porn...

    Unfortunate coincidence as far as I'm concerned. They almost certainly arrived at Cassidy thanks to Butch Cassidy, and Cole came later.

    Considering why the team wanted to change the name in the first place (remember this was voluntary) I don't think those same people would do this consciously.

    (Yes Blizzard sucks, but not everyone at Blizzard sucks.)

    Houk the Namebringer on
  • BRIAN BLESSEDBRIAN BLESSED Maybe you aren't SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGHHH Registered User regular
    The important part is now the Hanzo/Cole shippers have decided on hashtag-"Hole" on the socials

  • TalithTalith 変態という名の紳士 Miami, FLRegistered User regular
    I thought they were trying to ship Coal and Ash with that name pick.

    7244qyoka3pp.gif
  • McMoogleMcMoogle Registered User regular
    Well there's your problem right there, Overwatch 2 delayed indefinitely.

    https://kotaku.com/overwatch-2-and-diablo-4-delayed-into-2023-1847985130

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  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    "Indefinitely" as in it still doesn't have a release date, but I think 2023 is implied. I think this is probably because of the brain drain the company has suffered lately, no way can they keep their games on schedule with all the talent leaving. Hopefully they're able to right the ship.

  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    Can we at least get two new maps? Real maps too, not FFA.

  • DrowsDrows Registered User regular
    Overwatch 2 is gonna get cancelled isn't it.

  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    Only way I see it being "cancelled" is if they decide to just live-service the content into Overwatch instead. Make a PvE expansion like it always should have been.

    Also I'm pretty uncertain that 5v5 is really happening. There's a lot of resistance to it, and it's creating more work for them, but we'll see.

    Zek on
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    TBH is just sounds like the lawsuits and harassment stuff has them playing management musical chairs right now and everything is up in the air until that's settled.

  • PailryderPailryder Registered User regular
    one of the draw points of OW for me has been the variety of characters. Making the squad smaller seems such an odd choice especially from a straight balance perspective. Multiple tanks and healers = multiple weird combos that can get momentum. WIth one tank, it's hard to not see them being homogenized and then a clearly better choice in 90% of situations. :bigfrown:

  • BionicPenguinBionicPenguin Registered User regular
    It's much much harder to balance multiple possible tanks on a team. Tank synergies have shaped the vast majority of the meta comps throughout the life of the game.

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